Five arrests were made and 19 methamphetamine labs uncovered during a raid near Maplesville on June 8.

Avery

Chilton County 911 received a call about a suspicious vehicle occupied and parked at a closed business near the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and County Road 328 shortly after midnight. A sheriff’s deputy responded and stopped the vehicle trying to leave.

“When he pulled into the parking lot at the business, the vehicle started pulling out of the parking lot,” Sheriff Kevin Davis said. “That made it even more suspicious.”

Endress

The deputy noticed hand tools in the vehicle and thought they could have been intended for breaking into the business.

The business showed no signs of having been tampered with, but a further search of the vehicle turned up a mobile meth lab, commonly referred to as a “shake and bake” lab, which includes little more than a plastic bottle, a straw and the necessary chemicals.

Narcotics agents were called to the scene, and an occupant of the vehicle agreed to let officers search his residence nearby.

In all, two residences and two vehicles were searched, turning up numerous labs.

Kilgore

The list of those arrested includes: William Donald Avery, 30, of Jemison for failure to appear on unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance and failure to appear on unlawful possession of a controlled substance; Natasha Dawn Endress, 32, of Jemison for unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance first degree and probation violation; Angela Robin Kilgore, 32, of Maplesville for unlawful manufacturing first; Kayla Renee Shiers, 22, of Clanton for unlawful manufacturing second and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia; and Charles Browden Rigsby, 47, of Maplesville for unlawful manufacturing first.

Rigsby

Davis said the shake and bake labs are used only once, and the suspects hadn’t discarded previously used labs.

“What we normally see is these things thrown out on the side of the roads,” he said. “Our cleanup crew has found as many as eight in one day on the side of the roads.”

Davis the clean up of dangerous chemicals after raids has become a problem after the federal Drug Enforcement Agency decided to cut funding to such operations.

Shiers

Instead of footing a bill of about $2,000 for a DEA clean up, CCSO has instead entered into an agreement with the Bibb County sheriff’s department, which operates a Clandestine Laboratory Cleanup Team, performing the task at a much cheaper rate.

“Their only expense is disposing of it,” Davis said. “We have a couple of guys signed up for training so that in a few months we’ll be able to dispose of it ourselves.

“What option do we have? It’s minute amounts, but it’s very hazardous. We’re can’t turn our heads on meth labs; we’re not going to turn our heads on meth labs.”